(Closed) Cat owners? I need advice….

My special man, Bear, is a little slow mentally (we think he was dropped as a kitten, etc- we adopted him & his sister from a shelter when he was 7 weeks old), so we have never worried too much about him catching birds!

BUT the over the last couple of weeks he has been bringing in birds, lizards, etc.

He wears a collar with 2 bells normally, but has figured out how to take it off now- I’m buying him a new collar every week or so!

Has anyone got any suggestions of how I can:

1. Keep his collar on

2. Stop him preying on beautiful little animals

He gets very distressed when he is locked in the house & I won’t have him declawed as I think it’s cruel (sorry if this offends anyone, that’s not my intention)

I don’t have any good answers about the “presents” he’s bringing in, because I have that same problem.

But for the collar, is it a breakaway collar he keeps losing? I had that same problem, I think I bought about 7 new collars in a 2 month period! But when I asked the vet, his recommendation was to get a stretchy collar. They can still get the collar off if they get stuck on a branch or something, but it doesn’t come off if they paw at it!

ETA: this is my Rascal at about 10 weeks (he’s 4 now). Your Bear and Rascal could have been brothers, they look so alike!

What a cutie! Unfortunately, domestic cats were bred to take care of “vermin”, so I doubt your kitty will stop trying to hunt anytime soon. You might be able to convince him to leave his prizes outside, or find a collar with bells that he can’t remove…

Awww! Hey Buddy! He is super cute! I would say it is almost impossible to break them of the habit of bringing home “presents”. Because thats what they think they are! My cat comes prancing up onto our deck with the most beautiful birds so proud as he drops it at my feet. ( and i scream & run) YUCK! But its instinct to them so I just make FI clean up the poor little furry or feathered gifts he brings me.

He is so handsome! I definitely agree with Cola – a stretchy collar might be your best bet. Ours are indoor cats, and they still manage to find mice and bring them to us as presents. Yuck. So, you probably won’t be able to stop his hunting!

It’s hard to change. It’s instinct. Cats are natural born hunters though some don’t really have the drive for it and some do. That’s why they play with toys/string; they are “hunting”. My cat doesn’t really catch birds (they’re a little too fast for him) but he does bring lizards, snakes, and mice etc as “gifts” (he leaves them by the door).

Only thing I would suggest, whenever he goes outside make sure he has his collar on and the collar has bells (I suggest the snap aways with the rubber band connecting the two sides; cats figure out quickly how to snap off the clip ones). It’ll at least give the other animals a hint that he’s there and will give them a chance to run. Keeping him in doors might be hard after he’s been out. My cat is indoor/outdoor cat and whenever he wants to go outside and we don’t let him, he does anything he can to be put outside.

So. CUTE! I agree with the PPs that you probably can’t curb his natural hunting instinct. He’s bringing the “presents” home because he’s trying to please (and take care) of his family–you! I’ve read that sometimes scolding a cat for depositing dead animals on your stoop can even lead to them bringing more home because they think they aren’t doing enough. Silly fuzzies.

Unfortunately, I have no advice for you. That said… I’m feeling a bit like I’m in the twilight zone right now because I have a cat, who is essentially your cat – both in appearance and hunting prowess.

My two kitties are masters at taking off their collars. If we put any breakaway style collars on them, they shove their back paws into them and pop them right off. We ended up with collars that have D ring buckles. There is some safety elastic underneath the buckle which will let the collar slide off if they get stuck on something. Do not get a straight elastic collar without a buckle, because the same leg trick will work to get it off. Also, replace your collar every year or so. The elastic will get loose, even with the buckle and the cat will be able to get it off.

OMG your cat is beautiful!! I don’t think you can help with him killing animals, its just what cats do.. I don’t let mine outside so its not an issue though– maybe spray him with water everytime he brings one in?? as for the collar, i’m not sure, only one of my cats wears a collar and she doesn’t mind it

ps- you’ve never met a slow cat until you’ve met my cat Frank.. he came from a farm and we just say he’s a hill billy

But yeah, like others have said, I don’t think there’s much you can do to stop them from bringing in the animals.

Just be glad that the animals are dead. On more than one occasion, my other cat has brought in live mice, and then my husband and I have to chase it around and put it ouside. Even worse, one time a live bird was brought inside late at night, and we heard chirping from our bed. When we went out to investigate, a poor little bird with it’s tail missing and wings half chewed off was flapping around our living room. Yeah…my husband had to deal with that one, because birds freak me out!